The News Page

I'M MOVING ON UP!
On Friday 10th of June this year (2005) I went to my 2nd flute audition. This time it was for the Shropshire Youth Orchestra. (I'm just finishing a term with the Shropshire Youth Training Orchestra).
Today (Thursday 30th June 2005) I found out I got in! :oD :oD :oD YAY!!!! I'm so excited :oD
(30/06/05)

Fox Hunting Ban Passed
Hunting hounds will not be allowed to chase and kill foxes from 19 February 2005 (about 3 months), not the 18 months or even 3 years that Tony Blair had hoped for.
Blair had originally wanted to allow some licensed hunting but few MPs supported him.
"I have tried for the best part of two years to find a compromise and a way forward since there are people who feel passionately on either side of this debate," he said.
"There will now obviously be a whole series of court actions around it," he told a news conference.
The Labour Party sources say they fear photographs of piles of dead hunting hounds could blight their drive for re-election.
Scotland has already ended fox hunting.
(Source: Yahoo News and www.rspca.org.uk).
Have your say on my Message Board. (03/12/04)

The Pirates are back!
A Trilogy Me Mateys!
Absolutely GREAT NEWS! Pirates of the Caribbean is coming back with 2 sequels! Apparently their going to do what Matrix and LOTR film makers did, they will film 2 and 3 back to back then release the 3rd one about 6 months after the 2nd one.
Names
The rumoured name for the second part is Pirates of the Caribbean 2 : Treasures of the Lost Abyss. The 'Lost Abyss' part may refer to the first pirate ship that sailed in the caribbean.
Which Stars?
Johnny Depp (Captain Jack Sparrow), Orlando Bloom (Will Turner) and Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Swann) are all set for a return. Johnny said he can't wait to get back into the character of Jack Sparrow, I'm not surprised - he's wicked!
Rumours
There are, as usual, lots of rumours going round. Of course everything you just read might be rumours, I can't be sure because I don't know any of the film makers or actors! The name might not be correct, there might not be simultaneous filming, there might not be three films!!! But I'm sure the rumours will be cleared up soon enough!
There was a rumour going around that there would be a part for a young girl aged around 12 - 14 years old. I think whoever started that was a bit mean because it got a lot of people hyped on the web. That rumour has been cleared up, Jerry Bruckheimer said the script hasn't even been written yet.
The Storyline
Well as the script hasn't been written the title Treasures of the Lost Abyss might not even be correct so nobody can be sure of the storyline!
Conclusion
You're gonna have to come to your own conclusions my friends. People will be people, they will make rumours! Lets just hope it is a trilogy and they live up to the first film and do it justice!! :oP :oD (22/05/04)

Done Les Miserables Now Let's Return To The Forbidden Planet!
A week ago today I had just finished 5 days of rehearsals and had nearly done the first show of Les Miserables in Shropshire :oD The shows were on Friday 30th April, Saturday 1st May (matinee and evening shows) and Sunday 2nd May. It was great fun! :oD
I was in the chorus but I wasn't hidden or anything, people could see me and I got a rose at the end!! I was so chuffed! :oP :oD
Now I'm looking forward to our (Stage Two's) next production, Return to the Forbidden Planet which I may go for a principle role in!
I just thought I'd tell you about it because it went absolutely, amazingly well! :oD I love the stage!!! :oD
(07/05/04)

Animal Testers Want Protection From Protestors
Scientists that support and test on animals are requesting protection from protestors as they receive death threats and vandalism to their property.
My Opinion
I think death threats/vandalism etc. to specific scientists are a bit extreme but I think attacks on laboratories are not so extreme (aslong as no people/animals are harmed). I definately see nothing wrong with people standing outside laboratories with their signs, such as "THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES TO ANIMALS TESTING", chanting to testers though.
Alternative Testing - Humans!
I do think more should be done for alternative testing, it's simply not fair on animals, it's for us so it should be tested on us. Animal testing is not always reliable either! A high percentage of substances that pass the animal testing stage are abandoned once they are tested on humans, so why not test on humans straight away?! If substances are tested on humans anyway why test on animals in the first place?! Because certain forms of testing can be done on humans and not cause any harm to us, so there are alternatives.
Deadly For The Animals It's Tested On - Successfully Used In Humans
Here's a list of drugs successful in humans that have totally different affects on animals!

Morphine calms people and rats, but causes excitement in cats and mice.
Aspirin causes birth defects in cats and dogs, but not in people.
Penicillin is a useful antibiotic for people but it kills guinea pigs.
A drug used successfully for Legionnaires' disease in humans did not prevent deaths in infected guinea pigs.
The breast cancer drug tamoxifen was designed as an oral contraceptive. It is in rats, but in women it has the opposite effect. It is now used in the treatment of breast cancer, despite causing cancer in rats in some studies.
The cancer drug 6-azauridine can be used in humans for long periods, but in dogs small doses produce potentially lethal results in a few days.

(From www.navs.org.uk | vivisection | animal expriments: the facts [Contains an unpleasant picture of rat half way down the page].)

Animal experiments have used resources that could have been dedicated to educating the public about health hazards and health maintenance, minimising the number of incidents of disease that require treatment.
Here is a list of 50 Disasters of Animal Experimentation.
Please Note: There may be disturbing pictures/text found when clicking the links above, they are external sites (ie. not mine - I didn't write them). Please be careful where you click. (22/04/04)

Seal 'Kill' In Canada - We Will Lose more than a MILLION Seals

A three-year Seal Cull programme to slaughter more than a million seals in Canada, to protect fish stocks, has been branded cruel and without scientific justification by the RSPCA. This devastating cull involves seals (more than 1 million of them) being shot and clubbed by hunters, then skinned - possibly while still alive. Canada clearly states its aim is to reduce seal numbers believing they are responsible for the fall in fish stocks. The RSPCA is calling for an end to the barbaric killing, which will run for six months this year.
To help SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION! Click here for more info or here to sign the petition straight away. Thank You :o)

You may also be interested in the battery cage ban for hens.
Click here for the petition and some more information. Thank You! :oD
(20/04/04)

Beyonce Wears Dead Animals Despite Peta Letters
Despite PETA's (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) letters to Beyonce Knowles (solo artist and member of Destiny's Child) attempting to show her the cruelty behind every fur coat that she wears, she is still wearing them and unanswering letters. I am a fan myself and I do plan to write to her to discourage her from wearing real fur, maybe you could do the same - there are links on this post on the message board.
All info about PETAs website, the letters, Beyonce's address etc. on that post :o) (20/04/04)

The McFly Boys Have Flown In At Number 1!
McFly have taken that top spot from Usher and sent him down to number 2. Yes the cheesy but brilliant "5 Colours In Her Hair" by McFly is at number 1. Will they follow in their friend's (Busted's) footsteps and become a top band? Tell me what you think in the News section on the Message Board.
Usher also lost the number 1 album spot to Anastacia, who is recovering from an 8 hour operation to remove a cancerous lump, with her new album called Anastacia (I think). She is recovering from the operation and will be having radiation therapy, her hopes are high and I'm sure this will give her a boost :oD Go Anastacia!
(10/04/04)

IKEA vs Microsoft | Ingvar Kamprad - 1 Bill Gates - 0!
Microsoft's Bill Gates is no longer the richest man in the world! WAHOO! The founder of IKEA (the furniture retailer), Ingvar Kamprad is now - mwhahaha! And so he should be, I would say his service is probably more reliable! Sorry I'm a Linux user thats all - I find Windows rather pants! Anyway back to the news!!
Ingvar Kamprad is 77 (I think) he has a personal fortune of Ł36.7 BILLION! Overtaking Bill Gates by 4.2 billion pounds! I'd still say Bill Gates is pretty rich! His fortune is put at Ł32.5 billion! That's one hell of a lot of money!
Kamprad lives in Switzerland and no longer takes part in the daily running of IKEA but has kept ownership of it in the family. Thats goning to be a rich family as there are over 180 stores in more than 30 countries!
(10/04/04)

Home Schooled Cat In The Hat?!
Have you seen the Cat In The Hat movie with Mike Myers? Well you'll never guess what! The person who plays the little boy is called Spencer Breslin and he's Home Educated!
Spencer is 8 years old I think and he has co-starred with big stars like; Bruce Willis, Mike Myers! And I think he had a (small) part in Meet The Parents which starred Ben Stiller!
If you search in Google for Spencer Breslin you'll get some results :o)
I'd like to thank Val for telling me about this after watching an interview with him so thanks!
(24/03/04)

Usher's Back And At Number 1!
Usher is back with his new single 'Yeah' featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris. The song is a funky R&B tune that once you've heard it a few times it'll be in your head! As Usher shows in the video and whilst performing it is the perfect tune to dance to - I'll be making up my own routine to it very soon! There are versions with and without the rap section - personally I think without the rap it's a bit empty, I like the rap! :oD
Just this week Usher knocked DJ Casper's 'Cha Cha Slide' of the top mark also pushing Britney's 'Toxic' down to 4 whilst Will Young creeps up to number 3 with 'Your Game'.
You can watch Usher's video here (the page this links to will change so if it's not March anymore then I wouldn't bother going! It shows the Top 40 if you're interested! :oD)
(23/03/04)

A Fatty Salad?!
MacDonalds brought out a salad range, after health critics lowered their number of customers, so people wanting to loose weight would still buy their food in MacDonalds. But hold up! according to the Nutrition Counter on MaccyD's website a standard hamburger contains less fat than a Caesar salad with a Chicken Premiere!
Still, I wouldn't buy a burger from MacDonalds, think of the poor cow that went into that after a life of misery and pain. So 'ok' you think, I'll have a Chicken Premiere instead - no matter what animal it is, it's still dead and it was bred to be eaten, it was bred to die! How would you feel living that life?
If that doesn't stop you, think of all the diseases they would have carried in their life, living in the conditions they have to, once they die they don't just disappear!
Here is more info about the MacDonald's Salad fat content.
And here you can find out more about becoming vegetarian or vegan.
Here is a link to VIVA - Vegetarians International Voice for Animals. (NOTE: If you're a child or generally a sensitive person please be careful where you click on this website as there are pictures of dead pigs in terrible conditions - I haven't looked at them but I've been told.)
(09/03/04)

Westlife Break Down
I've never been a big fan of Westlife myself, but they have broke records and brought out great records! Now Bryan McFadden is leaving to spend more time with his family. The Westlifer's broke down in tears as Kian read out a farewell and thank you to Bryan in Dublin. But never fear the boys plan to continue as a foursome, as for Bryan, he doesn't have any plans and doesn't plan on making any for a long time yet! :o)
Here is the link to Yahoo News which has more info. (09/03/04)

Johnny's First Film Rises Again!
Johnny's first movie (Nightmare on Elmstreet of course!) is Number 4 on E! Online's 'Top Ten - Horror Films' YAY :oD Numbers 3, 2 and 1 were; The Changeling, Dawn of the Dead and The Exorcist. (Thanks to hayisforhorses for the lead for that info!)
Here is the link to the page about Nightmare on Elm Street. (09/03/04)

THE OSCARS HAVE COME..
..and they have gone! But I have lots of news about them now! :oD For a start I stayed up and watched them! Ouch! LOTR:ROTK got all of their 11 nominations! Sadly Johnny Depp didn't get Best Actor
:o( Sean Penn won and got a standing ovation, Bill Murray didn't seem to happy about losing but who would! :o/ Johnny & Jude Law were fine! :o)
For all the winners and their films click here (02/03/04)

Johnny Depp WINS at Screen Actors Guild Awards
YAY YAY YAY! Johnny Depp has won Best Actor (for POTC) at the Screen Actors Guild Awards! He was up with 'favourites' Bill Murray (who won the BAFTA which JD was also up for) and Sean Penn. Everyone was surprised, including Al Pacino who said "He's a fine actor." Go JD!! :oD (He wasn't there to accept the award). (23/02/04)

Pirates Of The Caribbean at the BAFTAs
Pirates of the Caribbean took home the award for Best Make-Up at the BAFTAs and they were nominated for a few more! :oD (12/02/04)

I Have The Date For The BRITS On UK TV!
The date for The Brits to come on to UK TV, it is: Tuesday 17th February. At 8.00pm til 10.00pm on ITV 1 and 2. Coming from Earls Court presented by Cat Deeley with performances from Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas, Busted, 50 Cent, The Darkness, Missy Elliott, Alicia Keys, Outkast and more! Don't Miss It!
(12/02/04)

Orlando Bloom - Best British Actor?
YAY! Go Orli! Up against Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf) for the Empire Film Award! Good Luck to both of them I say! :oD This is for his performance in ROTK, at last awards for the cast! :oD (10/02/04)

Sir Ian McKellen Up for Best British Actor!
Our very own Gandalf up for Best British Actor at the Empire Film Awards..well I say! Again, this is for his performance in ROTK :o) (10/02/04)

Keira Knightley Up For Best British Actress!
Keira is up for the Best British Actress at the Empire Film Awards for her performance in Pirates of the Caribbean at only 18! (10/02/04)

School of Rock Number 1!
School of Rock is NUMBER 1 in the Box Office Charts this week! (10/02/04)

Justin Committed To First Film Role
Justin Timberlake is reported to have committed to his first film role, in a David Burke film called 'Edison'! It will be a relatively small part, so it's said, and his co-stars will be:

Kevin Spacey
Morgan Freeman
LL Cool J

There's more info here. (09/02/04)

The Cancer Death Rate has fallen by an average of 12% in a generation

Falling by:
18% in men
6% in women

This is partly because men smoke a lot less heavily these days, compared to a generation ago. But it has become more of a "trend" for women to smoke.
Lung Cancer kills more than any other form of the disease and smoking is linked to this form.
Even though the Death Rate is falling the number of people contracting the disease is still rising.
For more information see: Yahoo News

Justin Timberlake is up for 5 Grammy Nominations (WAHOO!)
They are for:

Album of the Year (Justified - duh!)
Record of the Year (Where Is The Love?)
Best Pop Vocal Album (Justified!)
Best Pop Male Vocal Performance (Cry Me A River - wicked song!)
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (Where Is The Love?)

He will be performing at the Grammy's, I'm not sure when it's going to be on UK TV though!
Here is J*T's Official Website

Pirates Of The Caribbean : The Curse Of The Black Pearl is up for 5 Oscars!
They are for:

Actor In Leading Role (Johnny Depp!)
Make-Up
Sound
Sound Editing
Visual Effects

This is Johnny Depp's first ever Oscar Nomination! WELL DONE JOHNNY!! :oD

Lord of the Rings are up for 11 Oscar Nominations
Sadly none of them are to do with the actors - which I disagree with, they are fab! Tell me how you feel on the Message Board :oD

I'VE BEEN TO SEE JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE!!!!!!
On his Justified Tour. It was soooo totally wicked I can't describe it - it just ROCKED OK!! :oD The DVD of him in Earls Court, London, is good! And so is the Audio CD that comes with it :o) Search for the best buy here.